As athletes competing for Brazil (@ocpboficial) in the Paralympics, Mateus Evangelista (@mateusvangelista), Veronica Hipolito (@vehipolito) and Yohansson Nascimento (@yohanssonf) are proud to show off the medals they earned at the games this week in Rio de Janeiro. The Paralympics run parallel to the Olympic Games and provide a platform for athletes with disabilities to compete on behalf of their country. While their performance on the track is a source of inspiration for anyone who watches, what inspires Yohansson is “the opportunity to bring medals to the Brazilian people.” Veronica adds “the opportunity to get better every day” is what inspires her. Yohansson (pictured left) and Veronica (middle), both sprinters for Brazil, earned silver and bronze medals at the games this year. Mateus (pictured right), a long jumper, earned a silver in his event.

A Touch of Nature with Artist Alfred Basha

The man who made this piece of art began drawing five years ago. Even more impressive: he taught himself, without the help of any teacher or tutorial. “At a certain point in my life I was looking for new challenges, and I focused on illustrations,” says 25-year-old Alfred Basha (@alfredbasha), who brings nature and its various inhabitants to life with his realistic sketches. When he dives into a new project, the Italian artist typically opts for pen and paper. Then he gets to work, drawing wolves, bears and everything in between. As Alfred admits, “I prefer wild animals because they are out of human control.”

This Weekend: #WWIM14????

For more tips and tricks, or to find an InstaMeet near you, visit community.instagram.com.

It’s here! Worldwide InstaMeet 14 is happening this weekend. Tens of thousands of people around the world will gather and celebrate our theme — food! — through sunrise breakfasts, cooking classes and other fun feasts. However you decide to take part, share your photos and videos with #WWIM14???? to celebrate the diversity of food and its ability to bring people of all backgrounds together. Take a picture of your picnic, Boomerang your brunch and use Instagram Stories to capture your InstaMeet in real time. Browse #WWIM14???? throughout the weekend to explore communities around the world, and check in on Monday for a look back at some of our favorites.

The Instagram Account Dedicated to Fruit Stickers

To see more fruit stickers from around the world, check out @fruit_stickers on Instagram.

When she travels, Kelly Angood keeps her eyes peeled on the produce section of local grocery stores. Yes, she loves fruit — but she also loves adding to her growing collection of fruit stickers from around the world, which she faithfully documents on @fruit_stickers. “I’m not sure exactly how I got into collecting fruit stickers; for years I’ve just stuck them inside pages in notebooks,” says the 28-year-old London-based designer and entrepreneur. “At the time I wasn’t even doing it consciously, I just liked the way they looked. I’d pretty much do it anytime I ate a piece of fruit.”

Brittany Greeson Photographs the Joy and Pain of Being Human

To explore more of Brittany’s photography, follow @brittanygreeson on Instagram.

Whether it’s a tearful intervention or a gleeful prom party, photojournalist Brittany Greeson (@brittanygreeson) captures the rawness of life. “I grew up with a single mom and we went through a lot together. I would see her cry over bills. My dad was an alcoholic and he passed away when I was 8. Growing up like that made me passionate about the struggle of others and having an empathetic view,” says Brittany, who at 23 has already shot for The New York Times and is now a photo intern at the San Antonio Express-News. She focuses on socio-economically challenged communities and people grappling with physical afflictions. Like much of her work, this portrait of Megan Blair and her son William Navarro taken outside their home in San Antonio highlights her subjects’ dignity, strength and pride. “There have been times I’ve been crying behind my camera and it’s difficult, but I think by tearing down your walls and allowing yourself to be vulnerable, the people will usually be vulnerable back,” she says. “I’m going to do you justice by documenting exactly how you’re feeling, because I want other people to feel it too.”

A Gorgeous, Desolate Record of Russia’s Past and Present

To explore more of Nikolai’s photography, follow @n_tolstyh on Instagram.

By day, Nikolai Tolstyh (@n_tolstyh) works as a journalist in Izhevsk, Russia, chronicling the latest developments in his region. In his free time, the 29-year-old captures the countryside’s structures that have survived his nation’s past. “I am drawn to the charm of the old buildings’ desolation,” he says. An amateur photographer since his teens, Nikolai takes pleasure in snapping “simple things,” such as wooden houses, abandoned churches and the life that grows around — and sometimes within — the decrepit architecture. A year ago, he began experimenting with stencils, too, creating animal shapes that he poses against the countryside’s natural beauty. His photos bring together the past, present and future, making a reflective and ultimately hopeful record. “I always like to do something new, to discover new techniques and take pictures today better than I did yesterday,” he says.

Making Time for What Feels Good with Ainslee Costa

#MyStory is a series that spotlights inspiring women in the Instagram community. Join the conversation by sharing your own story. To see more from Ainslee, follow @mysuburbanfarm on Instagram.

“#MyStory is about inspiring others to try something new.” —Ainslee Costa (@mysuburbanfarm), a woodworker from Melbourne, Australia, who runs an asphalt-paving business by day and uses her downtime to craft handmade spoons and crochet hooks.

“I have no formal training. I don’t go to class after class. I do things because I see them and think, ‘That looks interesting. Why can’t I give it a go?’ Too many people hold back because they think they’re not good enough. But you’ll never know if you don’t jump into the deep end and try.

I work around what time is available to me. There are some months where I go full steam ahead; other times, I just go with the ebb and flow. Even when my kids were babies, I felt like I needed to make things. It made me feel good — like I achieved something that was just for me.

I’ve always found that the best advice I can give is follow what feels right. Don’t follow rules. Go with your heart. If I can just do things that please me and the people that I give them to, then that’s enough for me.”

Artist Kadir Nelson Speaks to the Hero in Us All

Kadir Nelson (@kadirnelson) searches for subjects who demonstrate the strength of the human spirit, and then pours all of that energy onto the canvas. “If I aspire to be strong, or intellectually, emotionally and spiritually strong, I’m going to put that into the work,” the Los Angeles-based artist says. “And when people look at it, that will ring a bell inside of them that reminds them of who they are and who they aspire to be.” The finished pieces are often a reflection of what’s going on in today’s world. However, as Kadir reminds us, that’s not a new phenomenon. “Looking back on artists from the Renaissance or the turn of the century, a lot of them are painting what was going on around them, so it gives us an idea of what the world was like at that time. That’s what artists of today do. We create art that speaks to what was going on in the national and international dialogue.”

Sharing Scenes of Iraqi Life with Ahmad Mousa

Documentary photographer and video reporter Ahmad Mousa (@ahmadmousa) has his #EyesOn Iraq. “Many people around the world who don’t know much about Iraq hear the name and they think of it as a war zone because of what they see and read in the news,” the 25-year-old says. Ahmad exposes people to a more human side of his country through @everydayiraq, the collaborative photography project he started. “I wanted to share the everyday life scenes with everyone, document it and put it there in history,” Ahmad says. “Everywhere in the world, people want to live a happy life; kids want to play and go to schools, families want to gather happily at dinner and youth want to help develop their society.”